Issue 136
December 2015
Injury to Rafael dos Anjos put his championship rematch against Donald Cerrone on hold, but it’s finally time for them to face off
UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos has met Donald Cerrone in the Octagon once before. Back in August 2013, the contest was a pick-em, but many fans were backing the crowd-pleasing ‘Cowboy’ to prevail and continue his charge to challenge the top dogs in the division.
However, The Brazilian impressed as he floored his sharp-shooting foe in the first frame and outworked him for two out of three rounds to secure a decision and earn what was then the biggest win of his career.
This time, RDA is the favorite after ripping the 155lb belt from the grasp of Anthony Pettis in March with a stunning display of striking and grappling dominance. But don’t count Cerrone out. He’s proved he’s still one of the most dangerous men in the UFC by dispatching an incredible eight fighters in a row. So does dos Anjos deserve the favor he has with the oddsmakers, or will Cowboy stick him up and ride off into the sunset with the belt? FO asks three MMA experts.
Familiar foes
Cerrone seeks revenge
Dos Anjos won his first fight with Cerrone at UFC Fight Night 27 by unanimous decision. All three judges scored the contest 29-28.
Neil Melanson
Grappling coach at the elite Blackzilians gym in Boca Raton, Florida
PICKING: Rafael dos Anjos
Right now, Rafael dos Anjos is at a great camp and he’s really had a lot of breakthroughs. Cerrone is a killer and that fight is going to pull a lot of interest because ‘Cowboy’ is a big fan favorite.
When the fight hits the ground, Cerrone is a very tricky prospect and he’s definitely got some submission skills. He has a lot of speed and timing when he’s looking for a submission. Dos Anjos, however, is a grinder.
They’re very different than each other when it goes to the ground too. If it goes to the ground and dos Anjos is on top, Cowboy is going to have some issues unless he’s fresh. If he’s fresh and he hasn’t been hit with anything too hard from the bottom then he can transition fast because the kid has some really good hips.
However, Dos Anjos is a grinder and I always tend to favor grinders. Stalling is a skill, it really is. Dos Anjos will stall a little bit and grind out his opponent – and that works. Cowboy can submit anybody from anywhere but on the ground, you’d think dos Anjos would be a better grappler for sure.
PICKING: Donald Cerrone
Eric Del Fierro
Head coach at Alliance MMA in Chula Vista, California
Rafael dos Anjos is a whole new martial artist. He’s an amazing athlete and his head coach over at Kings MMA, Rafael Cordeiro, has done some amazing work with that kid. He’s been transformed into a champion.
We saw a real high pace from Rafael when he went up for the UFC title against Anthony Pettis. And I expect a similar stylistic type of match were he will look to pressure Cerrone and keep him close to the fence and box him in the way he did with Pettis.
If he can keep that kind of pace; that’s the kind of grind that Cerrone has had a lot of trouble with – like when he fought Benson Henderson. Ben just kept alternating from striking to takedown, he just kept mixing it up.
But I also believe Donald Cerrone is the uncrowned champ of the division. He’s perfect in all areas: he has the mental toughness to go with his skill-set and he’s a powerful striker. His only downfall in this fight might be that Rafael will stay a little busier than him.
If it hits the ground they’re pretty equal. Rafael has a great ground ‘n’ pound game and he looks to stay on top more than Cerrone.
Cerrone is really confident working off his back. He’s very active and works a lot more on his back than he does on top. So I see a similar stylistic match to the Pettis fight, where Rafael will take him down and try to stay on top and control him. I don’t see Rafael looking for a submission, I see more of a ground ‘n’ pound game from him.
Both guys come from very good camps and they’ve been in title fights before. Cerrone has faced everybody in the division but it’s an even match.
It’s about who wants to set the higher pace. Rafael has proven he sets a high tempo, but for Cerrone, this is his shot. It’s his time to shine.
PICKING: Rafael dos Anjos
Mike Rodriguez
Boxing coach at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida
This is a hell of a fight. Donald Cerrone has a really nice, versatile arsenal of kicks because of his background, but when it comes to just straight punches, I like the champion.
For me, dos Anjos just has a little more pop in his punches than Cerrone and that could be the difference maker. He’s really aggressive with his striking and I really like that about him. He doesn’t hesitate with his movements, he’ll come at his opponent with those punches and make them pay.
Rafael dos Anjos is a fighter with pop who can bang. The one thing about guys like that is most guys who can punch hard and have a bit of pop have to have their feet planted on the ground when they throw their strikes.
The best way to defeat someone who has the sort of aggressive striking and power punches is by using mobility and angles.
If you’re constantly moving in and out of striking distance, then they can never set themselves to throw the punch.
Cerrone doesn’t want to allow dos Anjos to set himself and throw a punch because that’s where most of the power comes from. If Cerrone goes in and out and uses angles, he can offset dos Anjos’ punches.
A power puncher will either defend or try and throw with you if you try and throw a combination and come in and out of angles. However, as soon as you move to reposition they’re going to have to transition to re-engage you.
They’re going to have to turn to re-engage you, so you want to catch them between steps. If they set that’s dangerous for you, especially if you’re facing a power puncher.
